Two extraneous
considerations prevented my nominating
this Bargain of the Month. I have
just given that accolade to the
reissued Solti Rheingold
and am almost equally confident
that I shall also award it to another
Hyperion Helios reissue, Lancaster
and Valois (Machaut et al, sung
by Gothic Voices CDH55294). I lost
out on my bid to review the latter,
but have ordered my own copy in
the expectation that it will be
as highly recommendable as the other
Gothic Voices recordings on Helios
which I have reviewed. You need
hardly wait for my review of Lancaster
and Valois – the excerpts on
offer on the Hyperion website will
almost certainly convince you of
its worth.
Musicologists usually
rank Guerrero alongside Victoria
as the luminaries of the siglo
de oro, the Golden Age of Spanish
music. If you don’t already know
Victoria’s music, there are three
excellent Hyperion CDs, again with
the Westminster Cathedral Choir
(CDA66114, directed by David Hill;
CDA67479 and CDA66886, James O’Donnell.
CDA67479 is also available as an
SACD, SACDA67479). Guerrero’s music
is a little less strikingly individual
than Victoria’s, but well worth
getting to know.
Born in Seville
in 1528, Guerrero died there in
1599, having been successively maestro
de capilla of Jaén Cathedral
(1546-9), deputy maestro
(1551) and maestro (1574-99)
of Seville Cathedral. Unlike Victoria,
who studied in Rome, possibly under
Palestrina, he travelled there only
in his maturity (1581-2), making
a further visit to Venice and the
Holy Land in 1588-9. His 18 published
masses and numerous motets remained
in use in Spain and Latin-America
for more than two centuries after
his death. His brother Pedro was
his first teacher and he completed
his studies with Cristóbal
de Morales.
In saying that
Guerrero’s music is less striking
than Victoria’s, I don’t mean in
any way to belittle it. The superlatives
that were heaped on this recording
when it first appeared were fully
justified in terms of the quality
of the music as well the performance
and recording. The five-part Mass
which takes up the first half of
the CD is essentially bright and
festal in nature, partly due to
Guerrero’s expansion of a 4-part
original with the addition of an
extra superior or treble
part. The work is based on his teacher
Morales’ motet Sancta et immaculata
virginitas but transformed almost
beyond recognition – the original
Morales theme is printed in the
booklet in square notation to facilitate
the listener who wishes to try.
Hei mihi, Domine,
is a penitential work, published
with the revised version of Guerrero’s
Requiem but essentially an
independent piece, solemn but not
lugubrious. Its choice for the Hyperion
sampler of the Westminster cathedral
performances was very apt. Trahe
me is a Marian motet, an early
work but a very successful one.
The remaining pieces
are all associated with Vespers.
The Magnificat is one of
ten published in his Liber Vesparum,
alternate verses sung in polyphony
and chanted in the style of plainsong
which was practised in Spain in
the 16th Century.
The three hymns
which end the recording are more
hispano, in the Spanish style:
the well-known Vexilla Regis,
for Passiontide and feasts of the
Holy Cross; O lux beata for
Trinity Sunday and Lauda mater
a vigorous hymn for St Mary Magdalene
to a text superseded in 1603.
The plainsong sections
of the Magnificat are, of
course, meat and drink to the Westminster
Cathedral Choir but so is the rest
of the music. It is often said that
English choirs sound too well-drilled
to perform continental polyphony
of this period, but the Westminster
Cathedral choristers come nearest
to the ‘continental’ style without
the rough edges that sometimes accompany
it. Given the choice between the
precision of King’s, Magdalen or
Christ Church choirs in this music
and the ragged edges that some Spanish
choirs produce, I know which I prefer.
I recall being very disappointed
by Toledo Cathedral choir’s singing
of Victoria at Sunday High Mass:
the Westminster choristers could
lick them into the proverbial hat,
not only in the Mass but in the
other works.
Professional groups
such as The Tallis Scholars and
The Sixteen would probably have
a different, equally valid, take
on this music. The Sixteen, in particular,
would probably move some of it along
slightly more briskly than O’Donnell
(see their version of Guerrero’s
Ave virgo sanctissima on
Coro COR16001), but the music benefits
from the extra space which it is
given here and from the use of boys’
voices on the top line.
Hyperion are presumably
awaiting the response to this reissue
to decide whether to reissue their
other Guerrero recording, also with
James O’Donnell and the Westminster
Cathedral Choir. Though deleted,
this recording is currently available
to order under Hyperion’s Archive
Service (Missa de la battalia
escoutez, CDA67075). I very
much hope that sales are sufficiently
encouraging for this second CD also
to be reissued – please do your
bit by purchasing CDH55313. I don’t
own shares in Hyperion, but I have
yet to listen to one of their Helios
medieval and renaissance reissues
which didn’t warrant a recommendation
– only their Vaughan Williams’ Tudor
Portraits and Mystical Songs
ares a little too anaemic for my
taste.
With singing, recording
and presentation of this quality
– the booklet in no way inferior
to the original full-price issue
– and at the new price, there is
every reason to place your order
forthwith. Why delay? While you’re
about it, don’t forget the earlier
Helios reissue of the same performers
in Lassus’ Missa Bell’ Amfitrit’
altera (CDH55212).
Brian Wilson
Westminster Cathedral Choir/James O’Donnell
